"Alexander Zverev thinks we're all idiots" - Fans angered by German's "arrogant" response to domestic abuse trial question after French Open SF win

Alexander Zverev's domestic abuse trial came to its conclusion on Friday, June 7, a week after proceedings began. The Tiergarten District Court in Berlin ordered Zverev to pay €150,000 to the German state treasury and €50,000 to non-profit organizations, and the World No. 4 agreed. Zverev later opined that the fact that the court has closed the case means that he is innocent. However, this opinion did not go down well with a section of tennis fans.

Last year, Brenda Patea, Zverev's ex-girlfriend and his daughter Mayla's mother, brought the domestic abuse charges against the German. Patea alleged that in 2020, an argument between the pair took a violent turn, with Zverev pushing her and strangling her so severely that she could not swallow properly for a few days in the aftermath of the incident.

The Berlin court took action by handing a penalty order to the German, levying a fine to the tune of €450,000. Alexander Zverev appealed against the court's decision, but under German law, an appeal in such circumstances results in a public trial. However, Zverev's defense requested the court on the very first day of proceedings to move matters behind closed doors, which the court later approved.

Alexander Zverev was in action in the French Open semifinals hours after agreeing to the court's latest terms, which marked the end of the trial. The German came back from a set down to defeat two-time Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, setting up a clash against Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

After the match, Zverev attended a press conference, where he was asked if he had any reservations regarding the fact that the Berlin court did not explicitly state his innocence while discontinuing the trial. The World No. 4 opined that the court closing the case reflects his innocence. He also expressed his desire to not field such questions at his press conferences anymore.

"That's what dropping the case is. That is innocence. They're not going to drop the case if you're guilty at the end of the day. I don't know what translations you have, but that's what it means. Done. We move on. I never ever want to hear another question about the subject again. That goes out to everybody," Zverev said.

Tennis fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted angrily to what they perceived as the German's arrogance following the discontinuation of the trial. One set of fans took vicious swipes at Alexander Zverev over his "innocence" claims.

"The arrogant way in which he speaks… he truly thinks we’re all idiots lmaooo like no a***ole, settling outside of court does not prove you’re innocent you freak," one fan wrote.

"No questions is fair, but let's not act like he's innocent, either.He's not innocent, nor is he guilty, it was simply settled," another fan commented.

"Bro legit can't stop lying lmao. Hopefully he gets asked about it in every press conference for the rest of his life," another fan chimed in.

Another set of fans opined that the way the case was settled indicated that Alexander Zverev is guilty.

"If I was innocent of domestic abuse, I wouldn’t pay a single cent to anyone. I would want to clear my name in court.This guy is dirt," wrote one fan.

"I don't think anyone innocent pays nearly half a milion euro to close somebody's mouth. Sorry the guy is guilty as hell and just paid his way out," another fan weighed in.

"You just know he’s guilty," commented yet another fan.

Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend's defense explained why they applied for the settlement

Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea attending a match featuring the German

Kristin Hartmann, one of the lawyers who represented Alexander Zverev's ex-girlfriend Brenda Patea in the Berlin court, affirmed that the application for the settlement came from their end. Hartman told Jonathan Crane of DW that Patea sought a swift resolution due to the "suffering" that her and Zverev's daughter was going through.

"We applied for the settlement. The daughter was really suffering. So now they can both look to the future and get on with their lives. We ended this deal with [the feeling] that people should stop throwing things at each other," Hartmann said.

With the domestic abuse trial out of the way, Zverev would now be fully focused on winning his maiden Major by winning the 2024 French Open. The German will square off against World No. 3 and two-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz in the men's singles final on Sunday, June 9.

Victory for the World No. 4 will make him the first German man to win the French Open post-World War 2. He will also become the first player from his nation, male or female, to win the singles title at the clay-court Major since Steffi Graf's triumph 25 years back, in 1999.